Safety automobile-crank.



0'. T. WILLIAMS.

SAFETY AUTOMOBILE CRANK. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

' Patented 001;. 22, 1912.

.25 for which t GURLES '1". WILLIAMS, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY AUTOMOBILE-CRANK.

naaeos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ea. 22,1912.

Application filed June 27, 1911. Serial no. 635,671. S

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OURLEs T. WILLIAMS,

of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and in the State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Automobile-Cranks, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of myfin-venti'on has been to provide an automobile 'crank which will be releasedin case the engine kicks back, so that a person cranking the engine Wlll not "be m ured, and to'such ends my invention consists in the safety automobile crank hereinafter specified In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a-section on line 2'2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top ,20 view of Fig. 1.

In the cranking of an automobile engine it frequently happens that a premature explosion occurs which causes the engine to rotate the crank shaft backward, a motion operator is not prepared, and which accordingly wrenches the crank away from him and frequently causes it to strike his arm, occasionally breaking the arm.

It is the object of my invention to overcome this difficulty and to avoid injury in case the'engine should kick back as stated. In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated the best embodiment of my invention known to me, but such embodiment is to beregarded as typical only of many possible embodiments.

In the'illustrated embodiment, the crank shaft 1, or shaft to which tha hand crank is applied, is engaged with the engine shaft 2 by a clutch composed of members 3 and 4 which are automatically disengaged as soon as the engine begins to rotate of its own ,power. The hand crank5 is mounted on the crank shaft by means of a hub 6 which is s5 preferably integral with the hand crank,

' the hub being rotatably mounted on the crank shaft and being prevented from longitudinal' movement by the engagement of a screw 7 in the hub with the neck or groove 8 formed in the shaft. The hub is normally locked to the shaft by a plug 9 which is reciprocally mounted in the hub and which has a preferably tapered end which engages the tapered recess 10 in the shaft. -The plug is preferably provided with a collar or other enlargement 11, which, by engagement'with a shoulder 12 in the hub, limits the outward movement of the plug. The plug is normally forced outward by a spring 13 surrounding the plug and resting on the shoulder i2, said spring engaging a cross pin 14 in the plug. The plug is-held in inner or locked position by a lever 15, which is secured by a pivot, such as the screw 16, to the hub. The said lever preferably has a depression 17 formed on its under side Su as to yieldingly engage the rounded end of the plug and thus to require some little force to swing the lever from over the plug. A pawl 18 is'pivoted to the outer end of the said'lever,the pawl and lever having shoulders at 19 which limit the movement of the pawl in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, while movement in the opposite direction is permitted, but yieldingly resisted by a spring 20. A ratchet disk 21 is loosely mounted on the hub and is provided with a weight 22 or other means for normally maintaining it in a fixed position. A split bushing 23 is mounted on the hub, or a sleeve extension thereof, and provided with a draw bolt 24: by which it may be made to clamp the said hub or sleeve. A latch 25 is pivoted on the draw bolt and can either be moved to the right, in Fig. 1, to engage a notch in the ratchet disk, or

can be moved out of engagement with such notch to leave the ratchet disk free.

Inthe operation of my crank shaftthe latch being disengaged from the weighted ratchet disk, and the plug being forced into the recess 10 and held therein by the lever 15, the operator engages-the clutch members 3 and 4 and starts to crank the engine. During this over the teeth of the ratchet disk If the motion the pawl 18 rides idly engine should explode prematurely or back 'fire, andjerk the crank in the reverse d1- rection from 'thatindicated by the arrow vin Fig. 2

rotation by ftheweightfwould engage the pawl and prevent its rotation with the crank theratchet disk, being held from v shaft, thus causing the'pawl, by engagement of the shoulders at 19, to swing the lever from over the, rounded end of the plug, and

permitting the "spring 13. to withdraw the plug .rrelea's n g the hand crank. from the cran 'shaft,. The operator will' thus be 1 saved from-injury by the'back-firef ordei' jto hold-the crankin avertical' "p os'itiom'as is' desirable when the automoile is running, thelatch may beengaged I j "in-the. notch in the ratchet disk, and as the split bushing is-clampedto' the shaft F, this will 'lock the shaftjto the Weighted ratchet 2 0- disk-and prevent the shaft andhand crank froni rotatin'g. 1 1 Y i I claim: i l

V In a safety automobile crank, the combin'ation ofja shaft adapted to be connected I i a plug mounted in said hub, and adapted to to an engine, a handcrank for-rotating the same, having a'hub j ournaled on said shaft,

engage a shoulder on saidshaft, a lever j adapted to be swung over said plug and to yieldingly mounted on said lever, and a relatively stationary shoulder adapted to hold a said finger and to swing said lever from over 'said plug.

hold the latter in locked position, a finger 2. In a safety automobile crank, the com- .bination of a shaftadapted to be connected,

an engine, a hand crank having a .huh

journaled on said shaft, aplug mounted in said hub adapted to engage a' shoulder on said shaft, a spring tending to retract said plug, a lever adapted in one posit-ion to stand over said plug and hold the latter in locked' position, a finger pivoted to said lever and yieldable when said crank is moved in nor- I is adapted mal cranking direction, and a relatively stationary shoulder against which said finger (tic catch during backward movement 'of sai rank.

3. ,In a safe y automobile crank, the combination-of a shaft adapted to be connected to an engine, a hand. crank having a hub I journaled on said shaft, a plug mounted on said hub and adapted to engage a shoulder on said shaft, a spring for retracting said plug, a lever adapted to swing over said plug and'hold it in lockedpopit-ion, a finger -,bination of a shaft adapted to be connected to an engine, a hand crank having a hub pivotedto said lever and y1 dable in a direction away from normal cranking move ment, and a ratchet disk having teeth adapted to engage said finger and beveled in normal cranking direction. I

,4. In a safety automobile crank, the comdjournaled on said shaft, a plug mounted on said hub and adapted to engage a shoulder on .s'aid shaft, aspring for retracting said plug, a lever adapted to swin of said plug'being rounded and a depression being formed in said leverto fit said roundedend, a finger pivoted to said lever and yieldable in a direction away from normal cram;-

ing movement, and a ratchet disk having teethadapted to engage said finger, and

beveled in normal cranking direction.-

v v over said a c plug and'hold it in locked positlon, the end v 5. In a safety automobile crank, the com v I bination of a shaft adapted to be connected to an engine, a hand crank having a hub journaledon said shaft, a plug mounted on said huband adapted to engage a shoulder onsaid shaft, a-sprin'g for retracting said plug, a lever adapted to swing over said- N plug and hold it in locked position, a finger pivoted to said lever and yieldable in a direction away'from normal cranking movement, a ratchet disk having teeth adapted to i engage said finger and beveled in normal cranking direct on, and means for preventing the'rotation of said ratchet disk.

6. In a safety automobilecrank, the comment, a ratchet disk having teeth adapted to engage said finger and beveled in normal cranking direction, and means for rev'ent-L ing the rotation of said ratchet dlSk, said means comprlsing awelght attached thereto.

7. In a safety automobile crank, the combination of a shaftadapted to be connected j to an engine, a hand crank having a' hub' journaled on said shaft, a plug mounted on said hub and adapted to engage a shoulder on said shaft, a spring for retracting said plug, a lever adapted to swing over said plug and hold it in locked position, a finger pivoted to said lever and 'yieldable in a direction away from normal cranking movement, a ratchet disk having teeth adapted to' er and beveled in normal engage said cranking direction, means for preventing the rotation of said ratchet disk, and means for fastening said crank to said ratchet disk. 8. In a safety automobile crank-,the combination of a shaft adapted to be connected 'toan engine, a hand crank having a hub journaledon said shaft, a plug mounted'on said hub and adapted to engage a shoulder.

on said shaft, a spring for retracting said plug, a lever adapted to swin over said plug and'hold it in locked positlon, a finger pivoted to said lever and yieldable in a di- -rection away from normal cranking movement, a ratchet disk having teeth adapted to engage said finger and beveled in normal cranking direction, means for preventing the rotation of said ratchet disk, and means for fastening-said crank to said ratchet disk, said means comprising a latch carried by said hub and a notch on said ratchet disk i that would be engaged by said latch. 10

In testimonythat I claim the foregoing I have hereuntoset my hand.'

Cepies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

1 Washington, D. C. 

